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ENGL 111 English Composition Statewide Online Course
Writing Project 4: Argument Paper
Overview:
For this assignment, you will build off the same topic used in the Writing Project 3. Your purpose is to take a position on the issue or problem you synthesized in
Writing Project 3 and to make a case for a claim about the topic/problem that will influence a reasonably skeptical audience. Because you have worked towards
developing a clear understanding of the scope of the problem or issue in Writing Project 3, you are now in a position to take an informed position on the issue and to
argue, for example, for a specific definition of key terms, a specific evaluation of a proposal, a specific analysis of the causes of the problem, or a specific
solution to the problem. Your claim must be supportable with observable, measureable, and replicable evidence. Avoid claims that are derived from moral or personal
values, or which are simple claims of one person’s or group’s sense of right and wrong, or which are based solely or primarily on emotional appeals (review Chapter 10
for more on types of argumentative appeals).
Claims are established as one or more of the four types of claims discussed in Chapter 10.
An effective argument appeals to logic and reason (logos), appeals to how readers and the writer feel about an issue (pathos), and seeks to project that the writer’s
argument is fair, just, and honest for all the stakeholders (ethos) (review the section on “Rhetorical Appeals to the Audience” in Chapter 4 for more on these types of
appeals).
You will need to use at least five sources from the Ivy Tech Virtual Library databases in your writing. Some or all of these may come from the sources you found for
your Annotated Bibliography and/or used in Writing Project 3. As you focus on your specific claim and argument, you may want to do additional research to better
support your position. Thus, your bibliography for Writing Project 4 will likely be similar to, but not identical with, your bibliography for Writing Project 3.
Your draft must also include a fair and balanced discussion of at least one major counter-argument to your claim—respectfully and accurately summarizing the opposing
viewpoint. Be sure your paper includes a clear, fair, and respectful refutation for this counter-argument.
Your claim about a solution to a problem or a position on a topic is your argument. However, it does little good to propose a solution to or an analysis of a situation
that your readers are not convinced has anything to do with them. So, do the audience analysis before undertaking your first draft. Your purpose is to influence your
readers, not just tell them what you think is right. To do that you need to think about what those readers are like, what motivates and interests them, and why they
should care about what you have to say on this topic. Your audience may not agree with you in the end, but they should accept that your position is valid, well-
supported, and capable of being held by a rational and credible person.
Specifics:
• 200 points possible
• 1700 words minimum, double-spaced, using Times New Roman 12-point font
• MLA or APA manuscript style with in-text documentation and Works Cited or References page (this page does not count in the minimum word count requirement)
• Clear, arguable claim that is supportable with rational evidence
• Effective use of counter-argument and rebuttal
• Academic tone; observation of the conventions of Standard English
• Audience awareness
• Use of at least five print sources from the Ivy Tech Virtual Library databases, representing two or more points of view on the position being argued
• First draft must include a minimum 200-word audience analysis. This analysis should appear as the first item in your first draft, before page 1 of the actual
paper. Audience analysis is to be removed from the final draft.